Posts Tagged ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’

Maybe Sarah Palin’s new show should be on Comedy Central or perhaps Scyfy, because the whole idea is either a joke or a fantasy. Variety is reporting that Sarah Palin may be getting over a million dollars per episode to act like Vanna White and parade around the state showcasing Alaska’s tourist spots.

When Sarah Palin left office almost two years early, she said that she was doing it because she could do more good for Alaska out of office than in it. Now we know without a doubt why she really quit. Who could pass up that kind of scratch? Why would anyone want to actually tackle the important issues our state is dealing with when you can run off and sign books, go on Jay Leno and give speeches for hundreds of thousands of dollars a pop?

My question is, exactly what good will she be doing Alaska by pimping it on A & E? Is she trying to boost tourism? Is that really the “noble cause” she’s going for?

Palin’s Alaska is this idyllic place where everyone’s a “character”, where we all make moose stew for dinner every night and compete in snowmachine races for fun. While she’s wandering around the state winkin’ and blinkin’ and talkin’ all funny-like, the people of Alaska are dealing with some very real problems:

Especially troubling:
*Suicide: ” Alaska’s suicide rate is consistently one of the highest in the nation. In 2002, Alaska had 131 suicides for a rate of 20.9 for every 100,000 residents, almost twice the national average of 10.6 for every 100,000. Nationwide, suicide attempts are more frequent than completed suicide, with estimates of 20 to 50 million non-fatal attempts.

Alaska Natives experience suicide rates that are nearly four times the national average. Alaskan males commit 86 percent of suicides and young males are especially inclined to take their own lives.

Rural Alaska has an especially high suicide rates — averaging nearly twice that of urban Alaska. In 2000, according to the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics, the suicide rate of rural Alaska was 40 for every 100,000 residents compared to 14 for every 100,000 residents in urban areas.”

*Sexual abuse & Domestic Violence: “Alaskan women are 2.6 times more likely to be forcibly raped than women across the nation: in Anchorage 2.8 times more likely, and in Fairbanks 5.1 more likely. (Uniform Crime Report 2007, cited in a report to the Alaska State Legislature by Andre B. Rosay, Ph.D., Justice Center, UAA)

Of the 117 homicides reported in Alaska between 2003 and 2005, 22 percent were related to intimate partner violence. (Alaska Violent Death Reporting System 2003-2005). Of the 13 homicides reported in 2008, 69 percent were related to domestic and/or sexual violence. (Alaska State Troopers, Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Annual Report 2008)

Alaska led the nation in the rate of men murdering women in 2002, 2003, and 2004, fell to second place in the nation in 2005 and 15th place in 2006. (Bureau of Justice statistics, Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Annual Report 2008)

Three out of every four women in Alaska experienced, or know someone who has experienced, domestic violence or sexual assault. (ANDVSA Public Opinion Research Survey, Hellenthal & Associates, 2006)

Among students in Alaska public high schools, nine percent had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they didn’t want to and 12 percent were hit, slapped or physically hurt intentionally by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the prior year. (2007 Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Alaska Department of Health & Social Services.)”

*Child Abuse: Child abuse in Alaska is rampant, between neglect, mental injury, physical and sexual abuse, Alaska is not protecting its children.

*Lack of running water, flush toilets, access to fresh vegetables/healthy food, high cost of fuel: Many villages do not have running water, which leads to the absence of flush toilets and the use of honey buckets. Poor sanitation can lead to disease and other health problems.

Another problem is the high cost of fuel. At up to $8 a gallon, villagers cannot afford to heat their homes or put gas in their snowmachines. Without transportation, families have a hard time maintaining their subsistence lifestyle. They must then rely on food from the store, which sells packaged food for outrageous prices. Fresh fruit and vegetables are rarely available, and if they are on the shelves, they can cost 5-10 times more than you would find them for sale in Anchorage.

No wonder Sarah Palin left office. Being Governor is hard work. We have lots of problems here, and from what I can tell, the only thing she managed to do while in office is talk about the gas line (which is no closer to being built contrary to her introductory speech back in ’08).

Real Alaska is much more messy and complicated than “Sarah Palin’s Alaska”. Maybe she could help us by donating her millions of dollars of profit to help out the Alaskans she left behind. Only time will tell, but I’m guessing “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” is going to help Sarah more than it’s going to help Alaska.